Another in our series of reader problems… as solved by the CHOCOLATE BOX GIRLS! Today COCO TANBERRY takes a turn…
Hannah says:
There are many things I don't like about this world… poverty, cruelty, war… I could go on. I would like to make a small difference by going vegetarian, but my parents won't let me - even though I wrinkle up my nose at anything, well, DEAD! How can I go veggie and still stay in my parents' good books? Help!
Coco says:
I know, right? Parents sometimes just DO NOT GET IT. They worry about crazy stuff like where you will be getting your protein and have visions of you fading away to nothing the minute you give up meat. They think it's just a phase. Well, I have been veggie for almost three years and I can tell you it is NOT just a phase, and I am NOT wasting away, and I get plenty of protein, thank you very much. Actually, the best way to get your parents on side is to show them you've done your research. A good place to start is with the Vegetarian Society who can answer all your questions, help you make the change easily and painlessly and reassure your parents that eating veggie means eating healthy! You can contact them here. Why not start by offering to cook a veggie meal for the family once or twice a week? This will show them you're serious… and it's good training for you in case you have to make your own meals now and then! Good luck!
Cathy says:
I went veggie at fourteen, after a couple of years of trying to show my mum I was serious… she got there in the end! Do YOU have anything to add to Coco's advice? COMMENT BELOW to offer your words of wisdom to Hannah!
There are many things I don't like about this world… poverty, cruelty, war… I could go on. I would like to make a small difference by going vegetarian, but my parents won't let me - even though I wrinkle up my nose at anything, well, DEAD! How can I go veggie and still stay in my parents' good books? Help!
Coco says:
I know, right? Parents sometimes just DO NOT GET IT. They worry about crazy stuff like where you will be getting your protein and have visions of you fading away to nothing the minute you give up meat. They think it's just a phase. Well, I have been veggie for almost three years and I can tell you it is NOT just a phase, and I am NOT wasting away, and I get plenty of protein, thank you very much. Actually, the best way to get your parents on side is to show them you've done your research. A good place to start is with the Vegetarian Society who can answer all your questions, help you make the change easily and painlessly and reassure your parents that eating veggie means eating healthy! You can contact them here. Why not start by offering to cook a veggie meal for the family once or twice a week? This will show them you're serious… and it's good training for you in case you have to make your own meals now and then! Good luck!
Cathy says:
I went veggie at fourteen, after a couple of years of trying to show my mum I was serious… she got there in the end! Do YOU have anything to add to Coco's advice? COMMENT BELOW to offer your words of wisdom to Hannah!
Hi, Hannah! My parents and I are vegetarians, and we have been quite content! My advice to you, is to show your parents that you won't get deprived of any nutrients. You'll be surprised at how many healthy options there are of vegetarian food. Like Coco said, do a bit of research on vegetarian eating. Also, just think of how many animals get killed just to satisfy our hunger! Eating Vegetarian = Eating Healthy + Saving Animals. Hope this helps, and good luck! :)
ReplyDeleteI'm a vegatarian, just because my parents are. People image it as a hue big deal, but, really, it's not at all! There are loads of really simple meals that don't inculde meat, which you wouldn't think of as being 'Ooh, wow, exotic veggie!' or something. Good Luck! xxx
ReplyDeleteExactly!
DeleteI've been a vegetarian since I was 13 (a couple of months away from exactly 6 years) and it wasn't that big an upheaval for either me or my mother. If we're having spaghetti bolegnese, it's easy enough for mum to make a separate pan with Quorn instead of meat and she doesn't mind whipping up separate veggie meals every once in a while as she knows I absolutely adore her veggie lasagne and we've had fun making veggie meals together - tomato and mozzarella puff pastry tarts and mushroom risotto were great.I think a good way to prove to your parents that you won't waste away is to gently guide them to the vegetarian section next time you're in a supermarket. Once they see the huge variety of veggie food on offer, not just Quorn and Linda McCartney but also supermarket own brands, they'll see that that fear is unfounded. Even if you don't buy ready made food, you can certainly get some ideas for meals to make at home.If your parents refuse your request to go look at the vegetarian section, just point out various foods that are suitable for vegetarians but aren't veggie specific as you go along. They'll realise being a vegetarian doesn't mean you'll be living off carrots and lettuce leaves! Learning the health benefits of vegetarianism is also a good step. It will educate your parents and they'll be foolish to say "It's just a phase" when you've done so much research. One last thing to consider before going veggie: it doesn't just mean not eating meat. There's loads of food out there that you wouldn't expect to contain animal derivatives but they do. Parmesan and certain other hard cheeses contain calf rennet, marshmallows, chocolate mousse, gummy sweets like Haribo and (obviously) jelly contain gelatine and French fancies and Party Ring biscuits contain cochineal which is a type of beetle used to give icing a pink colouring. Can you cope with giving those things up? Are you ready to spend the rest of your life (well, as long as you're vegetarian for) reading labels and asking restaurants if their meals are vegetarian? Once I went to a cafe and they served cream of cauliflower soup which sounded delicious but we asked if it was vegetarian and it turned out it contained ham stock. Who would do that?! Anyway, you've got to be careful. Good luck.
ReplyDeleteBlue. :-)
Something similar to the cauliflower soup incident happened to me once. It was my mum's birthday, and we were having a lunch buffet in a hotel. I put something in my plate that was labeled 'Cannelloni.' On my first bite, I literally spat it out. Turned out it was CODFISH Cannelloni! :(
ReplyDeleteI'm not a vegetarian but my diet is mainly vegetarian....it definitely isn't that big of a deal really!!!! And I hate it when parents say its just a phase........ SO ANNOYING!!!!
ReplyDeleteMy dad had a huge debate with some family friends about being vegetarian. They both really expressed their opinions on the whole subject and really made me think but quite honestly, I think being vegetarian is a super good value to have and despite other's arguments, it shows you have a mopre general respect for the world you live in. I'm not saying that eating meat is perfect and that the whole world Should eat it but coming from a religious prospect, Jesus did eat meat while he was on earth making it okay for Christians to eat meat which is why I don't feel So bad about it. Hannah, if your parents are worried about your diet, you should introduce them to vegetarian meat like Quorn. It still has protein in it but nothing dead!
ReplyDeleteDeb I was thank she should cook vegggie meal or eveb have a quorn meal too have veggie cousin (she's eighteen) and friend who is veggie to saving anmanl and eat healty witch is good.
Deletemy cousin who is just 15 went veggie last year for a challenge but it didnt suit her and she was starved but no harm was done because she's the kind of person who speaks out straight away, which is great! she was fine when she ate normal again. i dont want to be veggie.
ReplyDeletelol the laptop thinks im a robot. i'm the anon that just sent the message about my cousin. bye! :)
ReplyDeleteI became veggie about a month ago
ReplyDeletemissing meat a little but fab!!!!!!
I AM VEGGIE!!!
ReplyDeleteITS V.FAB